By Rudy Mondragón
A calm, collected and mellow Floyd Mayweather Jr. (44-0, 26 KOs) stepped into the ring and outclassed Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero (31-2-1, 18 KOs). With this win, Floyd retains his WBC Welterweight title. Many said that at age 36, Floyd was showing signs of decline. On the night of May 4, 2013, Floyd Mayweather Jr. showed the world that it is not about age, it’s about taking care of your body and fighting smart. Last night was a true manifestation of that.
I scored the first two rounds in favor of Guerrero. Classic Mayweather taking the first few rounds to study his opponent to make the necessary adjustments. Mayweather tested his straight right in the first round only to find The Ghost counter him with a nice left to the body. A great reaction by Robert, but that was the last clean shot that he would get in the remainder of the fight as Mayweather found his speed, timing, and distance. After the third round, Mayweather began to dictate the pace of the fight. He looked like a matador in the ring, drawing Guerrero in to throw punches and miss. This woud eventually frustrate Robert. His father couldn’t find the right words between rounds to guide his son. All he could say was, “come on mijo!” Not the most effective words you want to hear as a fighter… Especially when you are in the ring with a master crafter of the game.
Round 8 drew the first blood of the fight as Mayweather landed a clean punch, creating a cut above the left eye of Guerrero. It was here that Mayweather tried to put Guerrero away as he throw some heavy punches that landed. After realizing that Guerrero was not for the taking, Mayweather continued to make The Ghost miss and land counter punches.
Fans booed in the final round as Mayweather used his feet to move away from Guerrero attacks. Majority of fight fans want to see massive blows, a brawl type fight. What those who were booing did not see and appreciate were the subtle things Floyd did throughout the fight to win. His ring generalship to dictate the fight, traps he set for Guerrero, reading his opponents attacks to duck and weave out of them, and denying Guerrero any angles to land head blows and uppercuts… I can go on and on. The subtle defensive and offensive things Mayweather does in the ring are important because it helps him land accurate and effective punches and also helps him avoid punishment. His high boxing IQ and the fact that he has taken care of his body is why he is relevant today, undefeated and able to do what he does at age 36.
All three judges had Mayweather winning 117-111. I had it 118-110, Guerrero only winning the first two rounds. Robert displayed a valiant effort and was determined to not be stopped. He also looked lost and confused in the ring. He smothered himself in his attempts to smother Floyd. He tried to bully Floyd and was unsuccessful in trying to create a toe-to-toe brawl. It was quickly clear that Floyd was no Andre Berto, who Guerrero was able to bully and punk in the ring. Mayweather is fast, stronger and smarter than Berto. He clearly showed that against the hard working Robert Guerrero.
Whats next? Although Floyd hurt his right hand, he stated that he is set to fight again in September. Will he fight Canelo? As a true promoter, Floyd did not answer that question to keep fight fans on the edge of their seats. As for Robert, there are rumors of a possible Victor Ortiz showdown this year. Two southpaws in the ring?! Let’s make that happen with the goal of making the fall of 2013 one hell of a boxing season!
judge: Jerry Roth 117-111 | judge: Duane Ford 117-111 | judge: Julie Lederman 117-111
Watch the full fight here:
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